Dirge of Ares
by SilverGhostKitsune
Summary: A girl runs into the Avalanche crew and is determined to help them beat the Tsviets and their soldiers. Little does she know that she is in the same boat as Vincent. VincentxOC... Full Summary inside!


Dirge of Ares

**Summary**: Takes place before/during/and after the Dirge of Cerberus. Vincent Valentine wasn't the only one to receive the extreme mako and protomateria treatment. And he wasn't the only one who survived. A girl runs into the Avalanche crew and is determined to help them beat the Tsviets and their soldiers. However, this serious, no-nonsense girl is harboring a deep secret that she fears, if it leaks out, the crew will cast her out. Little does she know that she is in the same boat as Vincent. VincentxOC

Disclaimer: I don't own any Final Fantasy games.

Chapter 1: Hound of Hell and God of War

Cerberus was the hound who guarded Hades, making sure that the dead couldn't leave and that the living couldn't enter. He had three or more heads, depending on which tale, with a snake for a tail and a serpentine mane.

Ares is the god of war. While his half-sister Athena was considered a war deity--her stance that of strategic warfare--his stance was of war for the sake of it. He was mistrusted and sometimes seen as barbaric.

Throughout the city of Midgar silence reigned. The only sounds were that of the wind whistling through the streets and discarded items tumbling down the roads. The absence of life was staggering. Not a single creature lived in the city. What was once a great place to live now became a desolate ghost town. However, the sound of gunshots and the screeching of metal echoed loudly in the stilled air.

"Damn! Never thought I'd get outta there. You did good Ares, now let's find some food." A woman around the age of 25 stepped out of the doorway to an underground laboratory. A fine nose and cheekbones defined a sharp but beautiful face. Pink lips kissed the barrel of her gun. Her long black hair was unkempt and falling out of its ponytail holder. Red streaks decorated the raven-colored locks in crimson disarray. She stood at about 5' 6" and a light blue cloak swept behind her, reaching the middle of her calves. Her black pants were slightly baggy and were stuffed into her black boots. A single leather belt held them up. A form-fitting black shirt covered the rest of her body and black, fingerless gloves covered her hands.

Her fingernails resembled claws more than fingernails and were as sharp as daggers. In her hands was a triple-barreled gun that was a gleaming silver. Red filigree swirled down the barrels and handle, creating images of wolves and dragons and other beasts of fear. A sword hung against her side, its pommel and handle were silver and black. The sheath was a deep grey with swirls of red, much like the gun.

She slipped the gun into a holster that was on her belt and began to head out of the door. The wind whipped her cape behind her and lashed her hair into her face. The coat covered the lower half of her face, but her fiery orange-red eyes showed that she was curiously happy. The ground beneath her crunched, littered glass decorated the asphalt like glitter. She continued to journey forwards, keeping her eyes on the alleyways like a fox on a rustling bush. The wind continued to tug at her hair and cloak, making her walk a little more difficult.

"So...where to Ares?" The gun seemed to glow and the holster pointed towards the horizon where a besmirched sunset was going down. The girl nodded and took off running towards the sun.

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"Come on Vinny...It'll be fun!" Yuffie stood with her hands on her hips and a bright smile on her face. She had forgone her typical attire and was now sporting similar shorts that were a little longer than the others and a light green long-sleeved shirt. Vincent sat, in the usual clothes, on the bed of his temporary residence. The window beside the bed was open and several balloons floated by, accompanied by light music.

"No...I do not wish to go to the festival, now please leave." Yuffie pouted and crossed her arms.

"You never want to do anything fun! Just come for an hour...Please?" Vincent sent her a glare and shook his head.

"I have no interest what-so-ever in this redundant celebration and I would much rather stay in my room."

"Yeah...sulking sounds like so much fun." Yuffie turned to leave.

"I don't 'sulk'."

"Whatever." Yuffie raised her hand in a wave and left the vampire to his own. (AN: I know he isn't actually a vampire, but I love calling him one!)

As the man sat on his bed, he thought of his old love, Lucrecia. He remembered working with her and slowly falling in love, only to be rejected when her guilt took over. A vision of her near the lifestream invaded his mind and he could still hear her faint whisper of 'I'm so sorry'.

"Why are you sorry? I'm the one who should apologize." He stared at his metal-gloved hand and curled it into a fist. Suddenly, the sound of something large heading towards the town made him turn his head to face the western wall. He was just in time to see a large explosion erupt and several helicopters fly over the flames. He jumped onto the windowsill and waited. One of the helicopters swooped down and hovered in front of Vincent, aiming the guns at him.

As the missiles flew into the apartment, Vincent jumped out of the window and shot several rounds into the chopper's blades, rendering it flightless. As he landed, he took off running and began to search for the group of Avalanche crew that he came here with. As he ran, he saw many soldiers killing innocent townspeople. A sense of anger filled him and he began to shoot down the soldiers.

"Vincent!" The man in question turned after he delivered the final shot to one of the soldiers that tried to attack him and saw Yuffie and Tifa running towards him.

"We saw the explosion." Tifa stood, hair askew and panting, next to Yuffie, who was in much the same state.

"Who are these people and why are they killing or capturing all of the townsfolk?"

"I'm not sure. They seem like they are searching for something." Tifa nodded.

"Yeah, but why did they try to kill Cloud and Yuffie, but completely ignore me and Barret and Cid?" Vincent shrugged and examined the area. Bodies littered the ground of the square. Blood ran across the cobblestone and in-between the cracks. A door in the far east corner of the square burst open and in walked at least three dozen of the blue clad soldiers. Tifa groaned and slipped on her fighting gloves while Yuffie drew a few daggers. Vincent merely drew Cerberus, his gun, and began to fire.

"Why do they never quit?!" Yuffie leaned against the railing of the large tower in the center of the square. Tifa had her back pressed against Yuffie's and both were surrounded by twenty or more reinforcements of the mystery soldiers. Vincent was busy with a massive group of his own. The two girls were tired and probably wouldn't last much longer. Vincent was too preoccupied to realize their predicament. Suddenly, a hailstorm of bullets rained down on the soldiers, killing at least a third of them. Not knowing who fired them, but grateful none the less, Tifa and Yuffie began to fight with a renewed strength.

As soon as the soldiers were cleared out, the girls looked for their savior. Even Vincent, who heard the shots and caught a glimpse of their devastation, was slightly curious. A black figure stood on the edge of a rooftop, waiting for the group to finally find them. Yuffie was the one to find them first. Pointing and shouting, she hollered out "There they are!". All eyes turned towards the person on the roof.

Wind pulled the light blue cloak behind a relatively slender figure dressed in all black. Raven hair that had once been in a ponytail was now whipping freely in the breeze. The crimson streaks were an interesting touch. Looking for all the world like Vincent's long lost twin sister, she jumped and landed on her feet, cape flowing behind her. In her hands was the daunting gun, Ares. Had anyone been able to see the lower part of Vincent's face, they would have seen an astounded look. She smiled at the trio and put her gun away.

"Hello...and who might you be?" She hid her arms and hands inside her cloak. Yuffie and Tifa smiled back, seemingly trusting of the woman while Vincent eyed her cautiously.

"Well, I'm Yuffie and this is Tifa...oh, and Mr. Meany Pants over there is Vincent." 'Mr. Meany Pants' glowered at the Wutaian ninja as the newcomer laughed.

"Nice to meet you all. Have you all seen a girl around here that looks kinda like...me only shorter and with short purple hair? She was wearing a white dress, but she might have changed it." Tifa and Yuffie looked thoughtful for a minute before shaking their heads.

"Sorry, I haven't seen them. Listen, thanks for helping us out..."

"Naia. Naia Fawks." She bowed lightly and turned, ready to take off. (AN: Her first name is pronounced Nn-eye-uh. Her last name is pronounced Fox.) However, as she headed towards the large doors that exited the square, she encountered five soldiers. Tifa, Yuffie and Vincent rushed to help her, but stopped when she withdrew Ares. With five loud bangs, each man hit the ground dead. She put her gun back in its holster, but not before Vincent caught a glimpse of her clawed hand.

"Hey...where ya going?" Naia turned to see Yuffie bounding towards her.

"I am going to search for my friend, Lucia. She is the one I was asking you all about." (AN: Pronounced Loo-shah) The red caped man froze, mind jumping back to Lucrecia.

"Well, considering the circumstances and the fact that we're searching for the rest of our crew...why don't you join us? We could use your help in staving off the meanies!" Naia thought for a moment. 'I could help them...I might even run into Lucia along the way. Hmmm...this Vincent guy seems suspicious though. Oh well, nothing I can't handle.'

"Okay, I'm in. So...where to first?" Yuffie pumped her fist in the air and pointed out the giant doors. Tifa nodded and began to follow the hyperactive ninja. Naia laughed to herself and waited for Vincent to go past. Big mistake...As he passed her, their eyes met in a blaze of fiery red. She had to keep herself from gasping as she looked into eyes like her own. His eyes seemed to say 'I know what you are, so don't think you can fool me.' She rushed after the girls, leaving the man behind her.

"Cid, Cloud, Barret!!!" Yuffie hollered at the top of her lungs. Her voice, mingled with Tifa's softer one echoed off the waddle-and-daub Germanic houses' walls. Throughout the town, screams of the fleeing or dying filled the air so three more didn't make much of a difference. A window above the group shattered, sending shards of glass on them. Yuffie and Tifa side-hopped to avoid them while Vincent and Naia held up their cloaks. The distinct sound of gunfire and shouts sent the group running down a street on their right.

A blonde man with a staff stood, swinging at any soldier who came too close. Another man with dark skin fired at the soldiers around him with a gun that was attached to his arm. Yuffie and Tifa immediately ran to assist them. Naia, out of the corner of her eye, caught sight of a sniper on the roof and jumped up to meet him.

"Hello there...Having fun?" The startled man turned, his shot missing the intended target and attracting Vincent's attention. As the man drew a pistol to hit Naia with, the woman dropkicked him off the roof, his neck snapping when he landed. "Oops...sorry" Naia yelled, sarcasm dripping from every word. She turned as another sniper tried to take her out with a headshot. Before he could hit her, she fired Ares and the bullet lodged itself into the man's skull. As she and Vincent took out snipers, the others took out the soldiers on the ground.

As the four on the ground finished up, Naia perched on the edge of the houses. The wind carried no scent of her friend Lucia, only that of blood and death. However, it also brought the smell of rain that was much needed. She sighed and jumped to the ground, landing next to Vincent. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, not realizing that the man next to her was watching her carefully. A scene flashed in her mind, making her wince.

"_I'm sorry Naia, but I can only get out by myself...I promise that I'll find a way to get you out though!" Naia sadly watched as her friend slowly faded into nothing. The scientists that put them in here forgot that Lucia could teleport herself, as long as she knew where she was headed. Naia sat down, waiting for the day her friend would return. That day never came..._

Naia's eyes snapped open and she quickly strode over to Tifa and Yuffie. The girls were talking to the two men they had helped. The deep rumble of thunder was the only warning they got before a sudden downpour of rain fell from the heavens. The black and red haired girl looked up, smiling. Rain poured down her face in cooling rivulets.

"So, what are we going to do next?" Naia tilted her head back up and looked at the group in front of her. All of them looked tired, except Vincent. She thought that it might be a good time to break. As soon as she voiced her thoughts, the sound of footsteps reached her ears. Yet again, another group of soldiers had found them. She growled and faced the oncoming troops with her sword and gun raised. The blade of the sword gleamed silver in the dying firelight, its edge a deep red that transformed into an intricately carved flame.

"Not again?!" Yuffie whined as she saw the approaching soldiers. Everyone knew that they couldn't deal with the twenty some-odd troops, yet they still prepared to fight. They were, however, caught off guard when Naia shouted at them to run.

"Hurry and get outta here!" The woman continued to face the oncoming fighters, a fierce determination etched on her face. When everyone paused, she yelled again. "Run! I'll hold them off!" Not needing to be told twice, they ran. Vincent stayed behind and was going to help her.

"You won't last long..." Naia nodded and sent him a glare.

"I know that...they'll take me instead though. Now, get out of here. I don't need you to get captured too." Vincent sent her one last look before turning and heading after his group. 'Crazy girl...'

As he caught up to the rest of the group, he heard gunfire and shouts. The clinking of chains signified her capture. Yuffie stared wide-eyed at him, shocked that he would leave anyone behind. He simply ignored her look and the group continued on.

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"Guys...I found her!" Yuffie came sprinting into the room with a poster in her hands. Tifa looked up from the sink and turned to see what all the fuss was about. Cid and Cloud calmly walked into the room, along with Vincent and Barret. On the poster, it had a picture of a skeleton on a pole surrounded by fire. At the bottom, small print could be seen.

"Well...what does it say?" Yuffie trembled as she began to read.

"By order of the DG, one Ms. Naia Fawks is hereby sentenced, on the charges of treason, association with the enemy, and avoiding arrest, to death of the highest degree by burning at the stake. The execution shall take place..." Yuffie paused to sniffle. "On the ninth of September in the Eastern Courtyard at noon." Everyone was silent until Yuffie tried rallying them together. "Come on guys...I know we didn't know her for very long, but she helped us when we needed it the most. She shouldn't have to die because of that." Tifa nodded.

"You're absolutely right. Knowing that the charges were pressed by our enemies, we shouldn't listen to them anyway." Cid then added his two cents.

"Well, what do you plan on doing? Today is the ninth and it is already 11:00." All eyes glanced to the clock.

"We'll sneak in and kidnap her from the enemy. Then we can head towards a new place." The idea was so smart, but simple, that everyone was surprised it came from Yuffie.

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Each member of Avalanche was in a different quadrant of the courtyard. The massive crowd was surprising considering last night's raid. Tifa and Yuffie struggled to get to the front of the crowd.

"Attention...On the charges of treason, fraternizing with the enemy and evasion of arrest, Naia Fawks is to be executed by burning at the stake." A slight man with dark brown hair stood on the small platform. He wore a purple robe, showing him to be the chief of the 'police' force of Deepground. Behind him, Naia stood on a pile of logs, tied to the large wooden pole against her back. She glared defiantly at the man speaking.

"Miss Fawks...how do you plead?"

"Innocent you slimy bastard!" She spat in the man's face and he grimaced.

"Thought so." He lowered his voice to where only she could hear it. "I'll enjoy seeing you cry out in pain." He turned and nodded to the torch men, backing away to avoid the flames. Naia's and everyone in Avalanche's eyes widened as the torches lit the logs.

Naia pressed her back as hard as she could against the pole while the flames licked at her feet. She knew that she would die, but she didn't want to die like this. Being shot or having your head cleaved off was different from burning to death. When a flame caught her boot, she bit her lip to keep from hissing in pain. Little did she know, help would be arriving...possibly a little late due to the crowd.

"Tifa...I can't get through!" Yuffie's voice crackled on the walkie.

"Neither can I. Cloud...please tell me you're almost there?" Cloud shook his head, and then realized she couldn't see it on the walkie.

"No...I can't even see through the crowd, much less walk through it."

"Yo, this is Barret...I can't get to her either. How bout you Cid?"

"Dammit! Watch where you're standing you overgrown meat bag!" Static followed soon after.

"That's a no...Vinny, can you reach her?" Vincent looked up from his position and saw he was quite a long ways away.

"It will take me a while, but I think I can get to her. I'll signal you for a distraction." Everyone, minus Cid, gave an affirmative.

Flames slowly started to burn away Naia's clothes, except her cloak which was flame resistant. She wished she could move her hands so she could wrap her cloak around her slowly burning body. She tasted blood in her mouth as she chewed on her lip to prevent herself from screaming in agony. So far, Her boots were burned away and her pants were almost gone. She didn't dare look down to see how her flesh was doing for she could already feel it bubbling.

"Scream...I want to have the satisfaction of knowing you're in pain!" The man in purple came as close as possible to the flames and grinned maliciously. Naia continued to stay silent, gnawing through her lip instead. Soon, her pants had burned away and she was left with only her shirt and cloak. A flame leapt up and singed her hips and thighs. As it hit her flesh, she screamed in agony, making some in the crowd grimace. The second the cry reached Vincent, he started shoving people aside. He was within leaping distance of the stage.

"Now!" His call into the walkie echoed to all of the Avalanche crew. Barret fired a fireball into the air while Yuffie and Tifa lit two of their own and tossed them into the air as well. Everyone in the crowd turned to see the show. At the same time, Vincent leaped on stage and landed directly in front of Naia, ignoring the flames dancing at his feet. He shot the ropes off of the girl and caught her just as she collapsed against him.

Naia's sensitive nose caught the light smell of pine and leather, but it was mostly drowned out by the smell of burnt flesh. Upon realizing her clothes were now burned off, Vincent wrapped Naia's cloak around her small frame and then he lifted her up, bridal style. Gunshots rang out, but he flew off before they hit him. The other members of his group soon followed after him.

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Vincent carefully set the girl down on the bed and stepped out of the room, letting Tifa examine her. He leaned on the wall of the kitchen, eyes closed and head bent downwards. Cloud, Barret and Cid all sat around the kitchen table, silently waiting for the diagnosis. They could hear Tifa barking orders at Yuffie, but were still surprised when Tifa came running in, barking more orders at them.

"Cloud, get water; Barret, get towels; Cid go pick the aloe from the garden...and for God's sake don't ruin it; Vincent, get some of your old clothes for her..." As Tifa stormed back to the small room at the end of the hallway, the men leapt into action. Cloud grabbed a large bowl and filled it with water. Barret ran to the linen closet and grabbed an armful of towels. Cid carefully ran to the garden and gently picked several large aloe leaves. Vincent walked into the spare room and searched through his stuff, eventually settling on a pair of his pants and an old dress shirt he wore as a turk. As everyone converged in front of the door, Yuffie opened it and began carrying the stuff to Tifa.

About an hour later, Tifa and Yuffie stepped into the kitchen. All eyes turned to Tifa, patiently waiting for her answer. Yuffie sighed and sat down for the first time in hours, for once glad she had a chair to sit in.

"Well, she won't scar...but she'll be in pain for awhile. Let her sleep...and if any of you wake her up, so help me lord, I'll pin you to the wall with a dagger through your tongue." Tifa turned and sat on the counter.

For the next two days, the temporary 7th Heaven quarters was eerily quiet. No one dared to make any racket, not even Yuffie, for fear Tifa would truly pin them to the walls by their tongues. Eventually, everyone was getting antsy, even Vincent. Finally, around late afternoon, Naia stumbled into the kitchen. She was wearing Vincent's dress shirt, but decided to forgo the pants in favor of some of Yuffie's shorts. Her burns had healed over with nothing to show they were ever there. However, she was still slightly skittish of anything hot.

As she reached into the refrigerator, she snuffled around for something tasty. Her nose caught whiff of something sweet and she immediately reached for it. A large bowl of strawberries is what she grasped and she eagerly plopped herself into a chair. As she munched on the fruit, she hummed happily. Her ears picked up the sound of someone sleepily shuffling down the hall. As the door opened, she smiled at a tired Yuffie. As Yuffie caught sight of Naia up and about, she squeaked happily and plopped into the chair beside the red-eyed girl.

"You're awake!!!" Naia nodded and continued to munch on her food. Yuffie's exuberance woke Tifa and pretty much everyone else up. In the grouchy people marched, stopping and smiling as they saw Naia was doing better.

"How are you feeling Naia?" Tifa studied the girl for any signs of pain, glad to find none.

"Mmmmm...Hungry." Naia licked her lips, much like a cat, and set down the empty bowl.

"Well, let's see what we got..." Tifa walked over to the pantry and took out several boxes of cereal. Naia examined a red box and opened it, pouring the stuff into the bowl Yuffie offered her. After pouring milk into it, she heartily dug in. Soon, everyone was clinking around the kitchen, eating their breakfasts.

After breakfast, everyone got ready for the day ahead. They were leaving town and heading back to Midgar before Deepground found their hiding place. Yuffie bounced into Naia's room, arms full of clothes. Naia glared pointedly at the different outfits.

"What are those?"

"Clothes! Yours were burned off so Tifa and I are lending some to you till we can buy you some of your own." Naia blushed, realizing that neither Tifa nor Yuffie could have lifted her and wasn't too comfortable with the idea of some guy seeing her naked. 'I wonder who saved me.' Yuffie handed Naia different pairs of shorts and tops while Naia saw which ones she liked better. Finally deciding on a pair of black shorts and a yellow tank top, she searched for some shoes. A pair of black converse low tops caught her eye and she snatched them off the floor.

"Is there a shower I could use?" Yuffie nodded and tugged Naia down the hall. Pointing to a door on the right, she opened it and turned on the lights. It was a plain beige bathroom with a white rug to dry off on. The curtain was also plain white. Yuffie pulled a white fluffy towel out from the cabinet under the sink and set it on the counter. She stepped outside and shut the door.

Naia turned on the water and sighed as it hit her skin. She carefully scrubbed away the dirt since her skin still was overly sensitive. She sniffed each shampoo before finding one she liked. She read the front of it and found the scent to be called grapefruit breeze. It reminded her of a tropical island and she smiled as she scrubbed her hair clean. After rinsing off and turning off the water, she wrapped the fluffy towel around her and stepped onto the rug. She reached for the toothpaste on the edge of the sink and squeezed a little on her finger and began brushing her teeth with her finger. (AN: I had to do this at one of my sleepovers cause I forgot my toothbrush! lol)

After she finished with her teeth, she slipped on the underwear and clothes that Tifa and Yuffie had donated to her. She looked in the mirror and thought she looked ok, so she wrapped the towel into a turban on her head and stepped out of the steamy bathroom. As she dried her hair, she thought of what she was going to do next. She flipped her hair back and tied it with a ribbon Tifa had given her.

"Are you done?"

"Yeah!" Naia walked out of the room and almost collided with Yuffie. "Hi, what is it?"

"We're leaving. We are going to Midgar." Naia looked confused. "Deepground will be searching for us now that we rescued you. Midgar is the safest place right now."

"Ok, but if they're looking for us then how do we get out of here unnoticed?" Yuffie shrugged.

"Cloud, Cid and Vinny are coming up with the plan." Naia nodded and, as the two walked into the kitchen, they spotted the three guys huddled over a map of Kalm, the town they're in.

"So, are we leaving yet?" Vincent looked up and saw Naia staring at him with her red eyes.

"Yes. We'll take the back alleys until we reach the western wall. There, we will follow it until we reach the western gate. As soon as we're through the gate, we'll head straight on to Midgar." Everyone nodded, agreeing with Cloud who was marking the trail on the map. "Bring only items that you have to have like weapons and one or two pairs of clothes." As soon as he finished speaking, Naia turned to Yuffie.

"Hey Yuff? Where's my cloak?" Yuffie grinned and bounced off towards the laundry room, where the blue cape was hanging up to dry. Overjoyed to be reunited with the fabric, Naia squealed and rushed to put it on. As she did, she felt two things fall out. Her gun and her sword. Somehow, the cloak had caught the weapons before they fell to the flames and had held onto them for her. She grabbed them and attached the gun to a handy pouch on the belt Yuffie just handed her. She tied her sword to one of the belt loops and took off her cloak.

"Glad you're happy! Now, we gotta hurry. Vinny and Cloud aren't the most patient people in the world."

"Okay, let me just grab a bag to put this in. It's hard to wear with a different outfit." She grabbed a small leather bag and stuffed the cloak into it, swinging the sack onto her shoulders. The two ran towards the front door, meeting everyone else there, and everyone headed outside. The town was relatively quiet since the 'execution'. No one wanted to get in the soldiers' ways for fear of being killed.

The group traveled silently like a parade of cats. Cloud led the seven of them. Next came Barret, then Cid, then Yuffie and Tifa, then Naia, and last was Vincent. The seven of them walked through all of the back alleys and avoided as many soldiers as they could. However, when they neared the western wall, they were spotted by one of the watchmen and all of the soldiers ran to stop them from getting away.

Each member of the group had at least six people to fight. The odds were not in their favor, but they continued to fight regardless, especially Naia. She had around nine or ten guards on her, and yet, she still fought. 'If this keeps up, none of us will survive...' She spared a quick glance at her new friends. All of them looked tired and bloody. She blocked a punch to her stomach and hit the guy's arm with the hilt of her sword. She had long since run out of bullets and resorted to using her sword.

"I...am...NOT...Going...Back...To...That...Place..." As her strength waned, Naia found courage by recalling her terrified trip to the 'prison'. Actually, it was more like a death camp. Not many survived. Suddenly, she felt her skin ripple, much like water, and she seemed to immediately gain all of her lost strength and then some. The soldiers she was fighting gave her a horrified look and tried to run away.

Knowing her claws were sharp, she swiped at them, knocking half of them over. She yelled triumphantly and pounced on them, slicing through them with her sword. As the others ran away, she stood and took off running, the ground blurring under her. She jumped onto the back of one, cutting open his jugular vein. Tossing her sword like a javelin, she carved through another. She ran and snatched her sword out of the guy's chest and ran down the other three, cutting off one of their heads and slicing the other two's necks.

Her ears picked up the sound of Tifa and Yuffie struggling to keep fighting so she ran and leapt in front of the stunned girls, blocking the now terrified soldiers' attacks. 'What are they so freaking afraid of?' She took advantage of their fear and sliced them down, flicking the blood off her sword. Naia left the men of the group alone, knowing how they don't like help. As the guys finished up their fights, the area grew silent. Naia turned and saw Tifa and Yuffie staring wide-eyed at her.

"What? Is there blood on my face?" Tifa stepped back, Yuffie behind her shook her head. The sound of boots on cobblestone signified the guys coming over. As they neared Cid dropped his cigarette.

"Holy...What the hell happened to you Naia?" The girl in question furrowed her brows.

"What is going on? Nothing happened to me!" Cloud stepped forward and turned Naia to where she could see herself in a window.

"I think you might want to look into a mirror before you say that." The girl stepped forward and gasped.

Red eyes gazed back at her, surrounded by light tan fur. Fangs like a vampire's poked out of her mouth. Her ears had changed to look more like cat ears and were tipped with white. Her black and red hair covered not only her head, but now she had a mane of it...much like a lion's. Her claws stayed the same size, but had changed to a solid ivory instead of a clearish-white. She looked down and took off her shoes, revealing paw-like feet with clawed toes and all. 'No wonder my feet felt cramped.' Behind her swung a tan tail that had a darker brown tuft of hair at the end of it. Red stripes decorated her side like a tiger.

"I'm...a...monster!" She started backing away from the window, and took off running when she was far enough away.

"Naia, wait! You're not a monster!" Tifa hollered after the transformed girl, hoping to bring her back. It didn't work. Yuffie started to run after her when Cid grabbed her arm.

"We can't just chase after her. We have to go...now!" Yuffie rounded on the blonde man.

"But she helped us and now she needs our help! We can't just leave her." Vincent, who had stood back the entire time, stepped forward.

"I'll get her. I can fly us back in no time and avoid the soldiers." Yuffie brightened a little and nodded. Vincent took off after the runaway while the rest of the group found a place to hide.

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Naia had come to a stop in the back of an alley and sat on the crumbled stone of a broken wall. She sat staring at her hands--paws--and felt the fear and worry sink in. 'They'll kick me out...I don't even know how I did it and I don't know how to change back...' She felt tears well up in her eyes. 'It'll take me forever to find Lucia.'

"I'm such a...monster..." She felt her throat tighten as the tears burned past her eyelashes. As she curled over her legs crying, she didn't notice the raven-haired man in front of her.

"You're not a monster." Upon hearing the voice, Naia snapped herself upright, red meeting watery red. Vincent strode over to the girl and sat down beside her. "If anyone is a monster, I am." He held up his left arm and examined the metal gauntlet. Naia fixed him with a curious look.

"How are you a monster?" In response, Vincent slid the metal off his arm and removed both gloves off his hands. Claws just like Naia's were in place of his fingernails. He held his hands up, showing her them.

"I don't transform like you though. Instead, I look more like a mish-mash of different things" he said, stealing Yuffie's word for combination. Not knowing Vincent for very long, she didn't realize that was his attempt at cheering her up. She looked up at him with her serious red eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Could you show me?" Vincent sighed. He hated to see women cry, but that was one thing he'd rather not do. "Please?" He stood up and let the energy flow through him. Soon, he felt his flesh ripple and he opened his eyes. The view was like normal, only with the edge of his vision tinged a slight pinkish-red. Naia was staring at him with wide eyes. 'Great...now I made it worse.' He was startled when he felt a hand brush the side of his face.

Naia, curious if the illusion was real, had reached out and touched the giant beast's cheek. Soft fur brushed her hand--paw--and she gasped, drawing it back to her side. She was surprised that it was real. Vincent released his energy and changed back to normal. She sat back down and stared up at him, astonished.

"You and I are a lot alike." The comment threw Vincent for a loop.

"How so?"

"You and I both have had our D.N.A. altered by Hojo and have been infused with mako and protomateria. If I'm correct in my findings, you and I also spent several years in slumber under one of Shinra's properties?" Vincent sat down and stared calmly at the girl.

"Yes."

"Could you tell me something?"

"I suppose. What would you like to know?"

"How to I reverse this?" Naia gestured to her furry body.

"Well, all I do is release the energy that I let flow into me when I transformed into the Gaian Beast."

"Um...how?"

"Just relax." Naia made an 'o' with her mouth before nodding and closing her eyes. She felt the odd ripple of skin and opened one eye cautiously and then opened the other.

"Did it work?" Vincent nodded and stood up.

"We should head back..."

"Yeah..."

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"There you are!" Yuffie ran and glomped Naia as soon as she and Vincent rounded the corner. Naia laughed and gently pushed the ninja off of her.

"I'm fine..." Everyone except Vincent gave her a curious look. "Now! Let's get going!!!"

"Okay! To Midgar!" Yuffie waved her hand in the air, glad to have someone besides herself who wasn't taking a major angst trip. And so, the group headed out.

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As they passed guards, they were careful not to make a sound. They had jumped to the roofs to avoid being spotted by the ground guards and to avoid the flames below. After Naia had been rescued from her execution, she showed an extreme adversion to high heat from flames and other.

Like mice, the group flitted over the roofs, praying no one heard them or saw them in their flight of fright. Cloud never turned to help anyone if they fell behind, and so far, it had only happened twice. Once with Yuffie, who had trouble climbing over a particularly large chimney, and once with Tifa, who almost didn't land the jump from one of the roofs to the next.

Suddenly, feet slipping on a loose shingle, Naia slid off the roof, causing Vincent to race forward to try and catch her. As he gripped the roof with his metal claws, he stared below. Naia had her claws dug into the side of the house as large flames crackled below. Her red eyes were wide with fear and shock, and slowly, she could feel herself slipping further down towards the fire. Vincent scanned the area and found a clear area to land about five feet from the wall. Gathering his leg muscles, he jumped and landed dead center of his mark.

"Naia, do you trust me?" Naia nodded, without turning, for fear of dislodging her loosening grip. "Okay, then I need you to push yourself off the wall, towards me. I promise I'll catch you." Horrified by what he was asking of her, Naia shook her head.

"I can't..."

"Can't or won't?" Vincent frowned as the girl refused to give up her hold on the wall, even if it would save her.

"Both...I don't want to die! In the fire...I felt pain, so much worse than Hojo's experiments..." Naia closed her eyes against the building heat of the fire below that she was stedily slipping towards.

"If you don't let go, you're going to die! Trust me?" Naia paused and began to look over her situation. _I'll die slowly if I continue to creep down the wall like this. Yet, Vincent offers to save me, but what if he can't reach me...I'm scared. _The beast in her roared with indignanty. **Since when have you feared death?! Face your demons is what you and I always agreed upon! Now fight your fears!** Naia clenched her eyes shut and pushed off the wall, and everyone held their breath as time seemed to slow down.

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SGK: Muwahahaha! Cliffie! Should I kill her, or let her live...I think I'll leave yall hanging! lol Anyways review for me so I can update...and NO FLAMES!!!!! Hope you enjoyed reading this!


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